Wings over Illinois recounts World War II veteran Arthur Abney’s illustrious aviation career, effectively documenting a span in our own nation’s history from the vantage of the skies. Abney describes a lifetime of experience, from his time as an eager young pilot with the Flying Egyptians to his tour of service during World War II, his years with the Illinois Department of Aeronautics, American Airlines, and the Southern Illinois University Aviation Management and Flight program. Abney introduces readers to hangar flying—exciting end-of-day flight tales told in the hangar—with sixty stories provided by military and civilian airmen from across the country. Included are such accounts as a 1943 bombing squadron assignment over Saipan in a typhoon, an engine freeze on takeoff during a solo training flight, a white-knuckle Bermuda Triangle flight, and a power failure on a homebuilt aircraft. Complementing Abney’s own experiences, these stories offer insights into the split-second decision making necessary to resolve problems in the air. In this fascinating autobiography Abney takes readers on a journey through nearly seven decades of a life in aviation.

Wings over Illinois recounts World War II veteran Arthur Abney’s illustrious aviation career, effectively documenting a span in our own nation’s history from the vantage of the skies. Abney describes a lifetime of experience, from his time as an eager young pilot with the Flying Egyptians to his tour of service during World War II, his years with the Illinois Department of Aeronautics, American Airlines, and the Southern Illinois University Aviation Management and Flight program. Abney introduces readers to hangar flying—exciting end-of-day flight tales told in the hangar—with sixty stories provided by military and civilian airmen from across the country. Included are such accounts as a 1943 bombing squadron assignment over Saipan in a typhoon, an engine freeze on takeoff during a solo training flight, a white-knuckle Bermuda Triangle flight, and a power failure on a homebuilt aircraft. Complementing Abney’s own experiences, these stories offer insights into the split-second decision making necessary to resolve problems in the air. In this fascinating autobiography Abney takes readers on a journey through nearly seven decades of a life in aviation.

In this compelling compilation of evidence, researcher Mark Hall presents the case for terrifying, monstrous bird that has roamed our continents since the days of the ancient legends of the Thunderbird. Some very large birds are being sighted in the skies over North America. Described as an enormous black bird with a white ring around its long neck and a wingspan of up to 20 feet and more, this giant bird of prey has been sighted from Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest, and into the Midwest, Appalachia, and Pennsylvania. The accounts are puzzling and hard to believe yet eyewitnesses swear by what they saw. Evidence from around the world indicates that our ancestors knew and feared the bird, which can carry away small children and animals.